The energy group, which accounts for about a fifth of the S&P/TSX’s weighting, retreated 0.6 percent as U.S. crude prices fell 0.4 percent to $48.96 a barrel.

The materials sector, which includes precious and base metals miners as well as fertilizer companies, added 0.7 percent, as gold miners profited from bullion prices that touched a one-year-high following weak U.S. jobs data.